MR.Long(SABU,2017):Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Germany

Reviewed by Rujie Wang. Viewed at AFI Fest 2017.

After directing the movie “Chesuke’s Journey”, Sabu does not rest. Instead, he releases another movie, Ryu Sang, which is expected to earn him awards. Ryu Sang, translated to “Mr. Long,” is a drama action movie released in 2017 and is starred by Chen Chang, Sho Aoyagi, and Ti Yao. The movie takes twists from violence to simple family scenes, giving the viewer a sense of true life on the planet. The first scene of the movie depicts the specialty of the professional hitman Mr. Long when he kills one of the gangs with ease. He is then given a task to accomplish in Tokyo. He is surprised by the task, but as a veteran, he takes it. Long takes his journey to Japanese capital where he is welcomed harshly and is shot in a pub on his new days. After the bloody fight in a club, Long escapes with a bullet would and seers through the neighborhood. In the midst, he meets this sweet boy, Juan, who brings him water, medicine, and later clothes. Juan took Long to his home to meet his mother, Lily (Yiti Yao). Through flashbacks and the necklace, it is revealed that Kenji, Lily’s husband, was killed in the earlier fight at the club. Long has to take care of the family now. Long takes his roles as a father delightfully and proves his paternal skills. He becomes a close friend of Jun. Unless Long opens up, it is almost impossible for the neighborhood to know that they had an assassin in their midst. He has to end the movie by revealing his true identity to Lily. The movie has shown a layout that many Japanese movies of this genre have shown. From the assassin nature to normal family man, Sabu develops his characters and scenes skillfully. In the first scene, Long kills the gang at a high pace, which might make the viewer believe that it is cinematography. Thanks to the fast paced camera. The movie will show you the normal and the underworld (clubbing) lives of people in Japan. Live Max Films and other production firms had a chance to be part of this narrative movie. Sabu brings another hitman movie to life. Unlike other movies like Agent 47 Hitman which happens in big cities, Ryu Sang happens in Tokyo and has more scenes developed at home. Ryu Sang gives the viewer a chance to see a hitman targeting enemies of a character unlike in most assassin movies where high political figures are targeted by other politicians. The movie seems realistic with its scenes developed skillfully to match the endowment of the art that Sabu has. It is an interesting piece that makes the viewers follow keenly without missing a word from any scene.